Which as a Relative Pronoun
Summary
Use which as a relative pronoun to describe something previously mentioned in the sentence.
- This alarm clock, which I found in the attic, is an antique.
The pronoun which connects the relative clause to the noun it describes.
- My parcel didn’t arrive today, which is disappointing.
In American usage, which is generally used in nonrestrictive clauses to provide optional rather than essential information. Remember to use commas both before and after the which clause.
- Tulips, which are colorful spring flowers, are toxic to cats.
Which provides extra information that can be omitted without changing the meaning of the sentence.
In British usage, which often replaces that in restrictive clauses to present information essential to meaning. Commas are then omitted.
- The flowers which/that arrived this morning are for you.
Which introduces information essential to meaning. Which flowers? The ones which arrived this morning.
Whose can replace the possessive of which, which can sound overly formal in everyday usage.
- Acceptable: This is the book whose author has won an award.
Formal: This is the book the author of which has won an award.
Which as a relative pronoun
Use the pronoun which to introduce a clause that describes something previously mentioned in the sentence.
- The latest report, which was published last Monday, is now available for download.
- The dodo, which went extinct in the 1600s, was a flightless bird.
- Fables, which are stories with animal characters, are a useful way to teach children right from wrong.
- The humble cactus, which requires minimal care to grow, has become a popular indoor plant.
- They were immediately informed about the incident, which occurred last Friday.
- Farley has lost the lottery again, which is not surprising.
Such clauses, which describe nouns, are known as relative clauses.
- They will now take the next train, which leaves tomorrow morning.
The relative clause (“which leaves tomorrow morning”) describes the noun phrase (“the next train”).
Relative pronouns like which join and connect relative clauses to the noun phrases they describe.
- They will now take the next train + The train leaves tomorrow morning = They will now take the next train, which leaves tomorrow morning.
Which acts as a pronoun by referring to the noun.
Other relative pronouns include that, whose, who, and whom. Just like which, all these pronouns connect relative clauses to nouns.
- The phone that Farley bought yesterday has stopped working.
- My sister, who lives in Spain, is visiting us this week.
- Is there someone whom we can call?
- The woman whose purse we found is at the door.
In this article, we discuss how to use which as a relative pronoun.
When to use which
Use which to introduce additional details that describe a noun phrase or an entire clause or sentence.
- We’ll take the night train to Paris, which leaves at 21:25 CET.
Which introduces extra information about the train.
- This castle, which was built in 1691, has been turned into a hotel.
- The Nile, which provided fertile soil and a transportation route, was vital to Ancient Egypt.
- Our tickets are still valid, which is a relief.
Which helps describe the entire clause before it.
Which can refer only to things or animals; to refer to people, use who instead.
Grammatically, the relative pronoun which can be used in two ways: In restrictive (or defining) clauses, it provides information necessary to the meaning of the sentence. In nonrestrictive (or non-defining) clauses, it introduces additional, optional details that may be useful or interesting but are not essential to meaning.
- Nonrestrictive: This book on baking, which was published in 1823, is a useful little guide for home bakers.
The which clause provides extra information.Restrictive: The book which Maya wrote last year has just been published.The which clause provides information necessary to know which book is being referred to: the one which Maya wrote last year.
Which vs. that
Both which and that are relative pronouns that help describe or define nouns. While which provides an optional description, that introduces essential information that defines or identifies a person or a thing.
- Electric cars that drive themselves are already here.
Which electric cars? Those that drive themselves. That introduces information necessary to meaning. Without it, we would not know which cars are being referred to.We tell stories that matter.
Why can’t food that tastes good also be healthy?
My trusty old hatchback, which I bought in the ’90s, has finally broken down.
- Munro’s stories, which often deal with moral conflict, resonate with readers of all generations.
- She bakes cakes that are healthy, which isn’t easy.
In edited American texts, which is generally used only in nonrestrictive clauses, where it provides optional information not essential to meaning. To provide essential information needed to identify or define something (i.e., in restrictive clauses), that is used instead.
- American: The laptop
which/that I bought online has no battery.That rather than which is used to introduce information essential to meaning in formal American usage.
In contrast, in British writing, which can replace that in restrictive clauses, and often does in formal usage.
- British: The laptop which/that I bought online has no battery.
Both that and which can present essential information, but which is more formal than that in British usage.
- British:
The single jab which most UK teenagers have so far received, is not recognised as full vaccination by some countries.
— “Covid: When can teenagers get a second dose?” BBC News (Nov. 17, 2021) - British:
Almost certainly that was true of the virus which caused the original SARS outbreak, in 2002.
— “Bats Spread Viruses,” Economist (Apr. 18, 2020)
Note that in nonrestrictive clauses, which is used instead of that in both British and American usage.
- Correct: British/American: My new laptop, which/
thatI bought online, has no battery. - Correct: British/American:
Low-enriched uranium, which/
thattypically has a 3-5% concentration of U-235, can be used to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants.— “Iran Nuclear Deal: What It All Means,” BBC News (Nov. 23, 2021) - Correct: British/American:
The United States, which/
thatstill generates about one-fifth of its electricity from coal, also did not sign the pledge.— “Over 40 Countries Pledge at U.N. Climate Summit to End Use of Coal Power,” New York Times (Nov. 4, 2021)
Use which to avoid multiple thats in a row.
- Stand up for that which is right.
Not “that that is right.”
- It isn’t easy to distinguish that which is important from that which is urgent.
Not “that that is important” or “that that is urgent”
Do only that which you must do and which you cannot do in any other way.
— Ursula K. LeGuin, The Farthest Shore (1972)
Also use which instead of that to describe an entire clause.
- You have to enter all the data manually, which/
thatcan get quite tedious. - Rita is somewhere in the Amazon, which/
thatmakes it difficult to contact her. - Poco brought me chocolate, which/
thatis odd because he knows I’m allergic to cocoa.
Use of commas
Use commas to set off a which clause that presents an additional, optional description. The commas indicate that the information is parenthetical and can be omitted without loss of basic meaning.
- The blue whale, which is a mammal like you and me, is the largest animal that ever lived.
The which clause is enclosed in commas because it provides extra information not essential to meaning.
- Maya lives in Nusquam, which is a city in Pouthena.
- Mt. Everest rises to a height of more than 29,000 feet, which makes it the highest mountain above sea level.
Don’t forget to “close your commas”: place a comma both before and after a which clause.
- Incorrect: The African forest elephant, which inhabits the rainforests of Africa is now a critically endangered species.
Correct: The African forest elephant, which inhabits the rainforests of Africa, is now a critically endangered species.
When which is used in its restrictive sense to present information essential to meaning—for example, in British usage where it can replace that—commas are omitted.
- I want a car which drives itself.
- Poco writes stories which sell.
- The cat which followed us home was white with black spots.
Omitting which is/are
Which is and which are can often be omitted from relative clauses without loss of meaning.
- The cheetah, (which is) the fastest land animal, can run at 80 mph.
- Conspiracy theories, (which are) easy to believe and impossible to disprove, have become popular on social media.
Such omission is possible when the relative clause can be reduced to an appositive, adjective, or participle phrase. (An appositive is a noun that appears beside another noun and describes or identifies it. Adjectives are words that describe nouns, while a participle is a verb form that functions as an adjective.) The reason which is/are/was/were can be omitted from such sentences is that appositive, adjective, and participle phrases perform the same function as a relative clause, which is to describe a noun.
- The Earth, (which is) the only known planet to support life, is dying.
- These shoes, (which are) perfect for running, cannot be used for working out.
- The conference on climate change, (which was) championed by global organizations, was attended by delegates from around the world.
Don’t omit which when it is followed by a verb other than is or are (or was or were).
- Correct: This parcel, which arrived last night, was sent to the wrong address.
Incorrect: This parcel, arrived last night, was sent to the wrong address. - Correct: The cheetah, which can run at 80 mph, is the fastest land animal.
Incorrect: The cheetah, can run at 80 mph, is the fastest land animal.
Which vs. who
Use which to refer to things rather than people, and who for people.
- Maya,
which/who is a writer, loves to travel. - This recipe, which/
whorequires only three ingredients, is my favorite.
Although which cannot refer to people, that can. The pronoun that is often used to refer to people, especially to a group or to someone that is unknown. Keep in mind though that who is preferred in formal usage.
- Those
which/who/that work in health care are now eligible for the vaccine.
Which also refers to animals, but when an animal is known or named, who is used instead.
- The dodo, which/
whowas a flightless bird, was endemic to the island of Mauritius. - My cat Tooks,
which/who likes cheese, loves pizza.
Of which
The preposition of is used before which to form the possessive.
- They sent me a laptop the keyboard of which was broken.
- This is a movie the ending of which is utterly illogical.
- These are the companies the financial reports of which are not available.
- Isn’t that the bank the vault of which was broken into?
- This is the restaurant the chef of which won an award.
- This chair, the legs of which are missing, is an antique.
Like which, the phrase of which can be used in restrictive or nonrestrictive clauses. When the clause is essential to meaning (restrictive), commas are omitted. When it provides extra, optional information (nonrestrictive), the clause is enclosed in commas.
- Restrictive: Here is a simple way to reuse a phone the screen of which is cracked.
Which phone? A phone the screen of which is cracked. This information is essential to meaning since it tells us which phone is being referred to. Don’t enclose it in commas.Nonrestrictive: Nesbit’s phone, the screen of which is cracked, still works.We already know which phone is being referred to: Nesbit’s phone. Of which just provides additional details enclosed in commas.
- Restrictive: This is a novel the ending of which will make you cry.
Nonrestrictive: This novel, the ending of which will make you cry, is in fact a comedy.
Of which can sound overly formal and awkward in everyday usage, where it is often replaced by whose, which sounds more natural.
- Is that the restaurant the chef of which won an award?
orIs that the restaurant whose chef won an award?
Which can also function as the complement of other prepositions (on, in, with, etc.), which show the relation between two things.
- This is the novel on which that movie is based.
- It was a disaster for which the world was unprepared.
- This is the bottle in which the ship was found.
Of which vs. whose
Both whose and of which can be used as possessives to refer to things. Of which is less common, seen mainly in formal styles.
- Acceptable: We have analyzed only those companies whose reports are publicly available.
Formal: We have analyzed only those companies the reports of which are publicly available. - Acceptable: She acted in a single movie, whose title I have forgotten.
Formal: She acted in a single movie, the title of which I have forgotten. - Acceptable: How do you discard phones whose batteries no longer work?
Formal: How do you discard phones the batteries of which no longer work?
It is sometimes thought that whose can refer only to people and not to things. This understanding is incorrect: whose refers to both people and things. More often than not, of which can sound stuffy and pedantic, while whose sounds much smoother. Compare “an idea whose time has come” with “an idea the time of which has come.”
Here are examples from published writing that show whose being used (rather than of which) to refer to things.
It was the first building whose entire weight, including the exterior walls, was supported on an iron frame or skeleton.
— “The First Building to Scrape the Sky,” New York Times (Feb. 25, 1984)It’s a hearty, rugged dish whose beauty lies in its simplicity.
— David Farley, “The Perfect Pasta Dish Sardinians Refuse to Share,” BBC Travel (Oct. 20, 2017)This was an attractive room, spacious and well designed, but it had the comfortably shabby air of a place whose inhabitants had long ago stopped seeing it.
— Anne Tyler, A Spool of Blue Thread (2015)
Examples from literature
The following examples from writing show how which is used as a relative pronoun to describe a thing.
The machine is only a tool after all, which can help humanity progress faster by taking some of the burdens of calculations and interpretations off its back.
— Isaac Asimov, I, Robot (1950)Travel, which had once charmed him, seemed, at length, unendurable, a business of color without substance, a phantom chase after his own dream’s shadow.
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Bodley Head Scott Fitzgerald (1963)Her mouth was large and so were her eyes, which looked green in some lights and moods and gray in others.
— Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables (1908)
In the following sentences, which describes not just a noun phrase, but the entire clause that precedes it.
In any case, she is a monster, without being a myth, which is rather unfair.
— Oscar Wilde, The Importance of Being Earnest (1895)Pink is supposed to weaken your enemies, make them go soft on you, which must be why it’s used for baby girls.
— Margaret Atwood, Cat’s Eye (1988)It’s also about cheating them, and failing them, and playing a little fast and loose, which I think is an inextricable part of such norms.
— China Miéville, The City & the City (2009)
And here are sentences that illustrate how which can also be used in restrictive clauses (in place of that) to provide essential information. These examples are from British, Australian, and Canadian writing. In American writing, that is preferred in restrictive clauses.
Let the tears which fell, and the broken words which were exchanged in the long close embrace between the orphans, be sacred.
— Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist (1838)It could be brimful of occupations which did not weary you to the bone.
— Alice Munro, Family Furnishings: Selected Stories, 1995–2014 (2014)After a time he found and opened a book he had been reading that he had expected to end well, a romance which he wanted to end well.
— Richard Flanagan, The Narrow Road to the Deep North (2013)